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Comments (7)

Thank you. That's a massive weight off. I guess they can appeal though? The school managed to go ahead thanks to the government overruling local democracy. Being faced with being squeezed in with even more people and cars in this area and less open space, is not a nice experience. I experienced years of shared houses including at some notorious addresses. All we wanted was a modest bit of space, which is sadly under threat.

Thank you. That's a massive weight off. I guess they can appeal though? The school managed to go ahead thanks to the government overruling local democracy. Being faced with being squeezed in with even more people and cars in this area and less open space, is not a nice experience. I experienced years of shared houses including at some notorious addresses. All we wanted was a modest bit of space, which is sadly under threat.Joe Chapman

Thank you. That's a massive weight off. I guess they can appeal though? The school managed to go ahead thanks to the government overruling local democracy. Being faced with being squeezed in with even more people and cars in this area and less open space, is not a nice experience. I experienced years of shared houses including at some notorious addresses. All we wanted was a modest bit of space, which is sadly under threat.

Score: -1

Joe Chapman says...8:30am Fri 8 Aug 14

Parents are thankful when they can send they children off to school, children tend to be, by nature, noisy. Imagine what it's like having a school projected to have 400 children, forced on them, in a small area with little buffer between the school and residents. Off work ill? Trying to work from home? retired with no job to go to during the day? Good luck with that, ear plugs don't work and there's no point complaining. You can make yourself ill trying to fight against these things, give up, then be faced with the horrible feeling that everything has unexpectedly changed for the worst, forever, your plans for the rest of your life are effectively ruined. That's just with the school. Then stick housing and or facilities which get used in the evening too and there's no let up. £20,000 a year more for the police to police it (the cost of the police station in Blackbird Leys). Traffic for even 30% of the 400 children, coming into a small close from Hollow Way every morning, meeting traffic from all the houses in the close coming out. Keep Clear signs on the corner due to the school, even with the turning point could be tricky. Hollow Way frequently congested (and you all know the effect of schools on traffic). Yes, it's NIMBYism but so what? Planning should always be about the needs of the immediate community, all land has a capacity at which it operates best, we're already over that capacity. Something has to give, people need homes but just building them in any available space is counter productive, it doesn't build communities, it destroys them.

Parents are thankful when they can send they children off to school, children tend to be, by nature, noisy. Imagine what it's like having a school projected to have 400 children, forced on them, in a small area with little buffer between the school and residents. Off work ill? Trying to work from home? retired with no job to go to during the day? Good luck with that, ear plugs don't work and there's no point complaining. You can make yourself ill trying to fight against these things, give up, then be faced with the horrible feeling that everything has unexpectedly changed for the worst, forever, your plans for the rest of your life are effectively ruined. That's just with the school. Then stick housing and or facilities which get used in the evening too and there's no let up. £20,000 a year more for the police to police it (the cost of the police station in Blackbird Leys). Traffic for even 30% of the 400 children, coming into a small close from Hollow Way every morning, meeting traffic from all the houses in the close coming out. Keep Clear signs on the corner due to the school, even with the turning point could be tricky. Hollow Way frequently congested (and you all know the effect of schools on traffic). Yes, it's NIMBYism but so what? Planning should always be about the needs of the immediate community, all land has a capacity at which it operates best, we're already over that capacity. Something has to give, people need homes but just building them in any available space is counter productive, it doesn't build communities, it destroys them.Joe Chapman

Parents are thankful when they can send they children off to school, children tend to be, by nature, noisy. Imagine what it's like having a school projected to have 400 children, forced on them, in a small area with little buffer between the school and residents. Off work ill? Trying to work from home? retired with no job to go to during the day? Good luck with that, ear plugs don't work and there's no point complaining. You can make yourself ill trying to fight against these things, give up, then be faced with the horrible feeling that everything has unexpectedly changed for the worst, forever, your plans for the rest of your life are effectively ruined. That's just with the school. Then stick housing and or facilities which get used in the evening too and there's no let up. £20,000 a year more for the police to police it (the cost of the police station in Blackbird Leys). Traffic for even 30% of the 400 children, coming into a small close from Hollow Way every morning, meeting traffic from all the houses in the close coming out. Keep Clear signs on the corner due to the school, even with the turning point could be tricky. Hollow Way frequently congested (and you all know the effect of schools on traffic). Yes, it's NIMBYism but so what? Planning should always be about the needs of the immediate community, all land has a capacity at which it operates best, we're already over that capacity. Something has to give, people need homes but just building them in any available space is counter productive, it doesn't build communities, it destroys them.

Score: 0

Andrew:Oxford says...9:04am Fri 8 Aug 14

Joe Chapman wrote…

Parents are thankful when they can send they children off to school, children tend to be, by nature, noisy. Imagine what it's like having a school projected to have 400 children, forced on them, in a small area with little buffer between the school and residents. Off work ill? Trying to work from home? retired with no job to go to during the day? Good luck with that, ear plugs don't work and there's no point complaining. You can make yourself ill trying to fight against these things, give up, then be faced with the horrible feeling that everything has unexpectedly changed for the worst, forever, your plans for the rest of your life are effectively ruined. That's just with the school. Then stick housing and or facilities which get used in the evening too and there's no let up. £20,000 a year more for the police to police it (the cost of the police station in Blackbird Leys). Traffic for even 30% of the 400 children, coming into a small close from Hollow Way every morning, meeting traffic from all the houses in the close coming out. Keep Clear signs on the corner due to the school, even with the turning point could be tricky. Hollow Way frequently congested (and you all know the effect of schools on traffic). Yes, it's NIMBYism but so what? Planning should always be about the needs of the immediate community, all land has a capacity at which it operates best, we're already over that capacity. Something has to give, people need homes but just building them in any available space is counter productive, it doesn't build communities, it destroys them.

I'm sorry children are ruining your life and have destroyed your community. Your experience of living near a school is completely at odds with my own experience though. I spent many years living in a house backing onto a 600-700 place primary school and my life continues to be worth living. Indeed when working from home, I found myself working to the school bells!

[quote][p][bold]Joe Chapman[/bold] wrote:
Parents are thankful when they can send they children off to school, children tend to be, by nature, noisy. Imagine what it's like having a school projected to have 400 children, forced on them, in a small area with little buffer between the school and residents. Off work ill? Trying to work from home? retired with no job to go to during the day? Good luck with that, ear plugs don't work and there's no point complaining. You can make yourself ill trying to fight against these things, give up, then be faced with the horrible feeling that everything has unexpectedly changed for the worst, forever, your plans for the rest of your life are effectively ruined. That's just with the school. Then stick housing and or facilities which get used in the evening too and there's no let up. £20,000 a year more for the police to police it (the cost of the police station in Blackbird Leys). Traffic for even 30% of the 400 children, coming into a small close from Hollow Way every morning, meeting traffic from all the houses in the close coming out. Keep Clear signs on the corner due to the school, even with the turning point could be tricky. Hollow Way frequently congested (and you all know the effect of schools on traffic). Yes, it's NIMBYism but so what? Planning should always be about the needs of the immediate community, all land has a capacity at which it operates best, we're already over that capacity. Something has to give, people need homes but just building them in any available space is counter productive, it doesn't build communities, it destroys them.[/p][/quote]I'm sorry children are ruining your life and have destroyed your community.
Your experience of living near a school is completely at odds with my own experience though. I spent many years living in a house backing onto a 600-700 place primary school and my life continues to be worth living.
Indeed when working from home, I found myself working to the school bells!Andrew:Oxford

Joe Chapman wrote…

Parents are thankful when they can send they children off to school, children tend to be, by nature, noisy. Imagine what it's like having a school projected to have 400 children, forced on them, in a small area with little buffer between the school and residents. Off work ill? Trying to work from home? retired with no job to go to during the day? Good luck with that, ear plugs don't work and there's no point complaining. You can make yourself ill trying to fight against these things, give up, then be faced with the horrible feeling that everything has unexpectedly changed for the worst, forever, your plans for the rest of your life are effectively ruined. That's just with the school. Then stick housing and or facilities which get used in the evening too and there's no let up. £20,000 a year more for the police to police it (the cost of the police station in Blackbird Leys). Traffic for even 30% of the 400 children, coming into a small close from Hollow Way every morning, meeting traffic from all the houses in the close coming out. Keep Clear signs on the corner due to the school, even with the turning point could be tricky. Hollow Way frequently congested (and you all know the effect of schools on traffic). Yes, it's NIMBYism but so what? Planning should always be about the needs of the immediate community, all land has a capacity at which it operates best, we're already over that capacity. Something has to give, people need homes but just building them in any available space is counter productive, it doesn't build communities, it destroys them.

I'm sorry children are ruining your life and have destroyed your community. Your experience of living near a school is completely at odds with my own experience though. I spent many years living in a house backing onto a 600-700 place primary school and my life continues to be worth living. Indeed when working from home, I found myself working to the school bells!

Score: 0

Joe Chapman says...6:12pm Fri 8 Aug 14

I'm sorry you appear to be unable to comment without using straw man arguments and getting all personal. I'm also sorry you appear to be sadly lacking in some basic human qualities, such as empathy. Or just understanding that not everyone is like you. Fortunately. I'm dreadfully sorry for coming onto your territory here and spraying everywhere with my whinging about the joyous sound of blackbirds chirping accompanied by a very loud ear piecing wailing, screaming noise. I will address your comment though: "I'm sorry children are ruining your life and have destroyed your community." No. Children have not done that. Stupid adults who think they are doing something good but are ultimately completely misguided and wrapped up in themselves and their cause, have made my life worse. What's more is that it has been done against the wishes of the local community and the local council. What we have here is a religious group, getting their way via a government which is trying to deal with a serious education issue in an unregulated and damaging way. The decision to put the school there and the conditions in which it exists, was and is wrong. It can take children from across Oxford, out of control of the local authority. It's travel plan is severely flawed and uses a 3 km radius for it's projected catchment area but that is as the crow flies and includes part of Headington. I was told, in response to my question about how they would limit the use of cars, that they would use "pester power". So, in the middle of winter, they are expecting children to say "oh, can we walk 45 minutes in the freezing cold before you go to work everyday", "please!", "yeah sure, let's leave the car in the driveway and walk, we'll get up at 5 am". Of course, we've got to wait until 2019 to see if I'm right or not though. In the meantime I'll continue to relax and enjoy the fact that school's out. Except for the banging and drilling.

I'm sorry you appear to be unable to comment without using straw man arguments and getting all personal.
I'm also sorry you appear to be sadly lacking in some basic human qualities, such as empathy. Or just understanding that not everyone is like you. Fortunately.
I'm dreadfully sorry for coming onto your territory here and spraying everywhere with my whinging about the joyous sound of blackbirds chirping accompanied by a very loud ear piecing wailing, screaming noise.
I will address your comment though:
"I'm sorry children are ruining your life and have destroyed your community."
No. Children have not done that. Stupid adults who think they are doing something good but are ultimately completely misguided and wrapped up in themselves and their cause, have made my life worse.
What's more is that it has been done against the wishes of the local community and the local council. What we have here is a religious group, getting their way via a government which is trying to deal with a serious education issue in an unregulated and damaging way.
The decision to put the school there and the conditions in which it exists, was and is wrong.
It can take children from across Oxford, out of control of the local authority. It's travel plan is severely flawed and uses a 3 km radius for it's projected catchment area but that is as the crow flies and includes part of Headington.
I was told, in response to my question about how they would limit the use of cars, that they would use "pester power". So, in the middle of winter, they are expecting children to say "oh, can we walk 45 minutes in the freezing cold before you go to work everyday", "please!", "yeah sure, let's leave the car in the driveway and walk, we'll get up at 5 am".
Of course, we've got to wait until 2019 to see if I'm right or not though. In the meantime I'll continue to relax and enjoy the fact that school's out. Except for the banging and drilling.Joe Chapman

I'm sorry you appear to be unable to comment without using straw man arguments and getting all personal. I'm also sorry you appear to be sadly lacking in some basic human qualities, such as empathy. Or just understanding that not everyone is like you. Fortunately. I'm dreadfully sorry for coming onto your territory here and spraying everywhere with my whinging about the joyous sound of blackbirds chirping accompanied by a very loud ear piecing wailing, screaming noise. I will address your comment though: "I'm sorry children are ruining your life and have destroyed your community." No. Children have not done that. Stupid adults who think they are doing something good but are ultimately completely misguided and wrapped up in themselves and their cause, have made my life worse. What's more is that it has been done against the wishes of the local community and the local council. What we have here is a religious group, getting their way via a government which is trying to deal with a serious education issue in an unregulated and damaging way. The decision to put the school there and the conditions in which it exists, was and is wrong. It can take children from across Oxford, out of control of the local authority. It's travel plan is severely flawed and uses a 3 km radius for it's projected catchment area but that is as the crow flies and includes part of Headington. I was told, in response to my question about how they would limit the use of cars, that they would use "pester power". So, in the middle of winter, they are expecting children to say "oh, can we walk 45 minutes in the freezing cold before you go to work everyday", "please!", "yeah sure, let's leave the car in the driveway and walk, we'll get up at 5 am". Of course, we've got to wait until 2019 to see if I'm right or not though. In the meantime I'll continue to relax and enjoy the fact that school's out. Except for the banging and drilling.

Score: 0

Joe Chapman says...6:17pm Fri 8 Aug 14

St. Francis is already on the same road effectively. I went there, perfectly good school. As far as I'm aware, St. Francis needed about 20 extra places for Children. So it would appear that local demand for school places, is around 20, not 400. When I say local, I mean local, the distance that most parents will walk every morning. A few may well walk from Florence Park, for example. Not the majority though. They will drive. The school itself in it's own travel plan accepted only something like 5% would travel to the school by bus and less by bicycle (they are primary school children!). I think the percentage for car travel was 30% but that's far from safe as I've pointed out above.

St. Francis is already on the same road effectively. I went there, perfectly good school. As far as I'm aware, St. Francis needed about 20 extra places for Children. So it would appear that local demand for school places, is around 20, not 400. When I say local, I mean local, the distance that most parents will walk every morning. A few may well walk from Florence Park, for example. Not the majority though. They will drive. The school itself in it's own travel plan accepted only something like 5% would travel to the school by bus and less by bicycle (they are primary school children!). I think the percentage for car travel was 30% but that's far from safe as I've pointed out above.Joe Chapman

St. Francis is already on the same road effectively. I went there, perfectly good school. As far as I'm aware, St. Francis needed about 20 extra places for Children. So it would appear that local demand for school places, is around 20, not 400. When I say local, I mean local, the distance that most parents will walk every morning. A few may well walk from Florence Park, for example. Not the majority though. They will drive. The school itself in it's own travel plan accepted only something like 5% would travel to the school by bus and less by bicycle (they are primary school children!). I think the percentage for car travel was 30% but that's far from safe as I've pointed out above.

Score: 0

Joe Chapman says...6:23pm Fri 8 Aug 14

I concede though that the school is here and it's unlikely it's going anywhere. In that case, I'm considering the idea that the rest of the field, should be for the school. It doesn't seem right to have 400 children in that building. I know they've got plans for it, the bowling green will be the soft play area. At least whatever happens it'll be better the last year where all the children have been spending their time under a fire exit, surrounded by builder's yard fencing covered in netting. They don't appear to have looked after the site either though, there are plants growing out of the brickwork, the windows haven't been cleaned, the shed is falling down.

I concede though that the school is here and it's unlikely it's going anywhere. In that case, I'm considering the idea that the rest of the field, should be for the school. It doesn't seem right to have 400 children in that building. I know they've got plans for it, the bowling green will be the soft play area. At least whatever happens it'll be better the last year where all the children have been spending their time under a fire exit, surrounded by builder's yard fencing covered in netting. They don't appear to have looked after the site either though, there are plants growing out of the brickwork, the windows haven't been cleaned, the shed is falling down.Joe Chapman

I concede though that the school is here and it's unlikely it's going anywhere. In that case, I'm considering the idea that the rest of the field, should be for the school. It doesn't seem right to have 400 children in that building. I know they've got plans for it, the bowling green will be the soft play area. At least whatever happens it'll be better the last year where all the children have been spending their time under a fire exit, surrounded by builder's yard fencing covered in netting. They don't appear to have looked after the site either though, there are plants growing out of the brickwork, the windows haven't been cleaned, the shed is falling down.

Score: 0

Joe Chapman says...6:28pm Fri 8 Aug 14

That's one good thing! I haven't had to deal with people breaking into the shed since the area has been fenced off.

That's one good thing! I haven't had to deal with people breaking into the shed since the area has been fenced off.Joe Chapman

That's one good thing! I haven't had to deal with people breaking into the shed since the area has been fenced off.

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